GREAT CANADIAN CASINO
As early as today (Tuesday) Premier Kathleen Wynne could announce the takeover of the OLG by Great Canadian Gaming and the British Columbia company’s winning bid on a casino at WOODBINE RACETRACK.
GREAT CANADIAN GAMING, which operates racing at Flamboro and Kawartha Downs, as well as Hastings Park in Vancouver, would take over the Woodbine property and built a casino there under the HARD ROCK Hotel and Casino banner.
While public opinion is divided on how popular a casino in Rexdale, rather than downtown Toronto, will be the expanded gaming and entertainment area around Woodbine could (should?) boost horse racing in the province.
“The winning bid will take over the gambling at Toronto’s Woodbine racetrack, Ajax Downs and the Great Blue Heron Casino in Port Perry, Ont. The winner will earn a minimum of $72-million annually for the 22 years of the deal, as well as up to 70 per cent of gambling revenue, according to the OLG”
TOUCHDOWN IVAN DALOS – BILL GRAHAM
Toronto owners sell yearlings for $850,000- $600,000
The colt by Into Mischief from Ivan Dalo’s top mare Victorious Ami, sold for $850,00 (US) at Saratoga Fasig Tipton last evening – Fasig Tipton Photo
Ivan Dalos’ Tall Oaks Farm sold a Canadian/Ontario bred yearling colt at the boutique Saratoga yearling sale put on by Fasig Tipton for a whopping $800,000, not long before Caledon’s Bill Graham sold a yearling filly for $600,000.
The first night of the Saratoga yearling sale was exciting and realized a solid increase in average yearling price, setting a nice tone for the upcoming yearling auctions in Ontario and Kentucky.
The sales topper was a $1 million Curlin colt but Dalos, whose breeding operation has surged in the last decade sold the 3rd highest priced youngster, a colt by INTO MISCHIEF – VICTORIOUS AMI BY VICTORY GALLOP, a half brother to Ami’s Holiday and Ami’s Mesa, both stakes winners.
Later, Bill Graham’s Windhaven sold an Ontario bred Uncle mo filly from Witty Gal by Distorted Humor for $600,000 to John Oxley. Oxley, who has raced horses at Woodbine with trainer Mark Casse for several years, copntinues to have a small stable of runners in Ontario.
Graham purchased Witty Gal, a winner, for $70,000 in foal to Uncle Mo in the first week of February 2016 and on Feb. 18 she produced the Uncle Mo filly.
SARATOGA YEARLING SALE
Ontario bred resuls from Session 1 –
$850,000 sold to LAEL STABLE 98 C INTO MISCHIEF – VICTORIOUS AMI VICTORY GALLOP…..
ONTARIO 1 WARRENDALE SALES AGENT FOR TALL OAKS
NOT SOLD $270,000 108 C VIOLENCE – WITCH’S COVEN CUVEE ONTARIO 7A-B TAYLOR MADE SALES AGENCY AGENT V
$600,000 JOHN OXLEY 111 F UNCLE MO – WITTY GAL DISTORTED HUMOR ONTARIO 9 EATON SALES AGENT FOR WILLIAM D. GRAHAM (WINDHAVEN FARMS)
selling tonight –
139 F LEMON DROP KID BANGA RIDGE SNOW RIDGE ONTARIO 6 CARA BLOODSTOCK (BERNARD MCCORMACK) AGENT
156 C SCAT DADDY CHARMING THUNDER THUNDER GULCH ONTARIO 8 SOUTH POINT SALES AGENCY AGENT
193 F MALIBU MOON GLOAT MR. GREELEY ONTARIO 6 CARA BLOODSTOCK (BERNARD MCCORMACK) AGENT
211 F SUPER SAVER INTENTIONAL CRY STREET CRY (IRE) ONTARIO 9 EATON SALES AGENT FOR WILLIAM D. GRAHAM (WINDHAVEN FARMS)
224 C ORB LATTE PLEASANT TAP ONTARIO 8 SOUTH POINT SALES AGENCY AGENT
PEDIGREE PAGE FOR IVAN DALOS’ COLT – 98
(PHOTO BELOW ) Shannondoe Farms-bred yearling to be sold by Arika Everatt Meeuse’s South Point Sales Agency offer this gorgeous Orb colt from the mare Latter- hip no 224 this evening.
WOODBINE WEEKEND WRAP
Be Vewy Vewy Quiet winning the $125,000 Clarendon Stakes on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Woodbine Racetrack. (Michael Burns Photography)
Four straight days of racing at Woodbine during the long weekend and 2-year-olds were the headliners. Be Vewy Vewy Quiet and his 78 Beyer Figure, was the most impressive run on the young ones on the weekend.
He is a son of Silent Name (Jpn) from Advanced Green by Crusader Sword. The mare, whose 2nd dam is Jealous Sword, the dam of multiple graded SW TRIPPI, raced once for owners Frank DiGiulio Jr, Anthony D’Onofrio and J. Peri, won impressively and then fractured her knee in a freak accident while being cooled out one day.
“Bob bought us his mother 10 years ago or so and bought her as a yearling,” said Di Giulio Jr. “She ran once as a two-year-old and won her only start and unfortunately fractured her knee so she wasn’t able to run again. We bred her and we’ve had some luck with her. We had a horse called Jade Dragon, who was a stakes winner for us, and a couple of other lesser horses and now Be Vewy Vewy Quiet.”
Jade Dragon, sired by Trajectory, won the 2013 Deputy Minister Stakes as a three-year-old and earned nearly $300,000 in purses.
SHEENA RYAN, who rode Be Vewy Vewy Quiet (there was a recent runner in Alberta at Northlands Park with the same name – 2009 he raced for Monica Russell!), was emotional after riding the big fellow to the win.
Ryan had a huge season in 2016 when agent Ryan Deyotte came in from BC to plan her mounts. When Deyotte had to leave for BC again, Ryan had been in transition. One of the more talented riders on the grounds, Ryan has now got a roll going with her new agent Steve Roberts.
Sunday – SUMMER SUNDAY won the Nandi Stakes on a summer Sunday. The Silent Name (Jpn) Dancing Allstar, Millenium Allstar filly is now 2 for 2 for Bill and Anne Scott who bought the co-sales topper from the 2016 Canadian Premier Yearling sale for $95,000 from consignor Gail Wood who sold her for Trinity West Stables.
Her Beyer Figure was 68.
Meanwhile the other $95,000 yearling from last year which topped the Ontario sale, SAFE TO SAY, won her 2nd career race in an allowance race for CTHS graduates. The Justin Phillip – Docey Girl filly won for Windways Farm and trainer Mark Casse. She was bred by Bay Orchards.
TOP WINNING BEYER FIGURES at Woodbine Friday – Sunday
BUTLER’S PICK – 90 – carrying the colours of Sunny’s Halo…
BEST BARD (turf) 88 – Richard Lister fellow was claimed
RATFACE MCDOUGALL – ROCK N CANDY (turf) 80 – won but was DQ’d
**Trainer Norm McKnight and owner Bruno Schickedanz scored a Natural Hat Trick on Monday with 3 straight wins…
total wins for the owner this year is 26, far in front of other owners
HASTINGS PARK WRAP FROM BC – Modern Classic
MODERN, by Tiznow, is 11 for 31 in his career – a monster for Swift Thoroughbreds – Four Footed Fotos
BC Festival day at Hastings Park had a big crowd and over $1 million wagered. There were many stars of the BC scene in action including jockey Mario Gutierrez, who visited for the day from California.
MODERN won the main feature, the Classic, with an 80 Beyer Figure. The 7-year-old by Tiznow was bred by Darley and purchased by Swift Thoroughbreds. The owners have had fun with the gelding as he has 11 wins in 31 races, 9 stakes wins and he has won or placed in 18 stakes.
Dino Condelinios trains the gelding. The victory by Modern was only by inches as 4 horses landed at the wire together with loose horses also on the track. Sabado legre had been on the lead with Modern but broke down and caused a chain reaction accident.
Earlier, jockey Sahin Civaci won his first stakes races when Hunters Appeal, by Successful Appeal, won the Sir Winston Churchill, a prep race for the BC Derby. Civaci is from Vancouver but lived in Turkey where he learned to ride.
More from Hastings…
http://www.derbybarandgrill.com/railbird/
PLENTIFUL IN MANITOBA DERBY
Realizes a dream for late owner
The 3-year-old gelding PLENTIFUL, claimed for $16,000 in pril from a race at Oaklawn POark, won the 69th Manitoba Derby for owner/trainer Murray Duncan and the estate of Garylle Stewart. Stewart passed away at 76 last year on Derby day and had always wanted to win a Manitoba Derby.
The winner has taken 4 races from 5 starts since coming to Manitoba., He is by Harlan’s Holiday from Spring Street by Street Cry and the mare was placed.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/08/07/plentiful-hits-gas-pedal-to-win-manitoba-derby
‘SHOEING AWAY THE OPPOSITION’
GUN RUNNER and the Whitney, Ontario bred Breaking Lucky, 3rd
GUN RUNNER had a horseshoe up his… well, in his tail, from rival Capture Giant. Amazing. Vanessa Ng photo
Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimney’s Gun Runner delivered on his reputation as one of the top older males in the country, picking up his second straight Grade 1 with a 5 ¼-length score as the heavy 3-5 favorite in Saturday’s 90th running of the $1.2 million Whitney, the traditional focal race for older horses at the 149th Saratoga Race Course meet.
With his regular jockey Florent Geroux aboard, Gun Runner outbroke his competition and raced into contention early, settling two lengths behind expected pacesetter Cautious Giant, who took the field of seven through the opening quarter-mile in 23.89 seconds and the half in 48.31. At the half-mile pole, Geroux let his charge out a notch and he quickly assumed the lead. Six furlongs went in 1:11.37 as the 4-year-old Candy Ride colt rounded the far turn with a two-length advantage over Breaking Lucky and Tu Brutus.
In front by three lengths at the top of the stretch, the Steve Asmussen-trained Gun Runner drew well clear through the stretch under a hand ride. He completed the 1 1/8-mile contest in a sharp final time of 1:47.71.
Keen Ice, the 3-1 second choice, rallied from last to secure second, finishing 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Breaking Lucky in third. It was another seven lengths back to War Story, followed by Discreet Lover, Tu Brutus, and Cautious Giant to complete the order of finish.
Breaking Lucky, in another noble effort, earned a 102 Beyer Figure and he has over $1.2 million in earnings. He was bred by Christine Hayden and i owned by a collection of partners including West Point Thoroughbreds and Gunpowder Stable.
“My horse broke super sharp today from the gate,” said Geroux. “I could have gone to the lead if I wanted to, but I just stayed cover until the five-eighths pole and from there the race was pretty much over. My horse was just on cruise control from all the way from there and then I just gave him a tap around the 1/8 pole to make sure he stayed focused but there was not even a need for that.”
The winner carried the field’s high weight of 124 pounds plus Cautious Giant’s lost horseshoe, which had become dislodged on the backside and became tangled in Gun Runner’s tail.
Gun Runner returned $3.20 on a $2 win wager.
Already armed with an all-fees-paid berth into the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 4 at Del Mar for his seven-length romp in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, Gun Runner took his second straight “Win and You’re In” qualifying event in the Whitney.
The Whitney marked the fourth straight U.S. victory for Gun Runner, also including a gutsy score over older horses in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap last fall. Two starts back, Gun Runner, who entered Saturday’s race ranked third in Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings and second in NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, finished second to top-ranked Arrogate in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in March.
“He’s spoiling us, he really is,” said the chestnut colt’s Hall of Fame conditioner. “He went about his business and Florent gave him a flawless ride. We talked about the pace scenario with a possible rabbit, but we wanted him to wait and not take away from what got him here. He got away cleanly, he handled nicely, he didn’t let that horse disrupt the rhythm he was in. Florent showed a lot of confidence in him to take the lead when he did. There’s a lot of pressure under those circumstances when there’s a horse entered for pace for him. When he let him drop off into the second turn there, he showed a lot of confidence in the horse. As you saw how he went by the wire, Florent knows him really well.
“For him to win a race of quality of the Whitney at Saratoga under the pressure that Saratoga brings only elevates his status,” added Asmussen. “The crowd that is here, going over walking from the Oklahoma side by the racetrack through the holding barn though the crowd. The attention that is given to a horse of his caliber adds up. The attention is not sneaking up on you and I thought he handled it well. He ran a dynamite race with a very good time over the racetrack here.”
ONTARIO BRED REMAINS UNDEFEATED
More gold from the McCormack farm
TYRO S., $55,200, MTH, 8-6, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:04.91, gd.
Beyer Figure of 80
1–HEMP HEMP HURRAY, 118, c, 2, Artie Schiller–Druidess, by
Malibu Moon. ($40,000 Wlg ’15 KEENOV). O-Kenneth L. &
Sarah K. Ramsey; B-Bernard & Karen McCormack (ON);
T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Albin Jimenez. $34,200. Lifetime Record:
2-2-0-0, $79,200.
